Medicor per Ignis
by Krystyn Poe
Summary: Five years after Hogwarts, Harry, Hermione, and Ron find their destinies intertwined with an ancient prophecy that could bring the magical world to its knees...
1. Prophecies, Dangerous Artifacts, and Shr...

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Disclaimer: *sniff* As much as I'd love to claim Harry and the gang as my own, I must acknowledge the fact that they belong to their creator, the lovely and talented J.K. Rowling. Any spells, artifacts, and other people/things you don't recognize are mine. Man, now I feel greedy…but it had to be said! Honest!

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Note: This takes place in 2003, five years after Harry, Ron, and Hermione graduated from Hogwarts.

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Medicor per Ignis

by Krystyn Poe

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Part One – Prophecies, Dangerous Artifacts, and Shrimp Lo Mein

"Will he be able to stop me?"

"Perhaps. I've never put much faith in prophecies, but the last few have come true…in one form or another. Then again, they tend to be so vague that any catastrophic event can be forced to fit the mold."

"You have a point. Still, we should proceed with caution. When playing with fire people tend to be burned."

The woman turned away from her companion, looking deeper into the chamber. It was an empty room that gave the impression of being much more spacious than it really was, but the most unusual thing about it was that it was made entirely of smooth, uncut stone. In the center was a strange formation, a cauldron of stone that seemed to have risen up from the ground when the chamber itself had been created, for it too did not interrupt the flow of the cold, grey stone. The woman walked over to the cauldron, which came up to her waist and was at least an arm's length across, and took a small beam of holly from her robes.

"_Miritas,_" she murmured.

The molten lava sputtered and churned, suddenly sending a burst of flame into the air. Soon a circle of fire enclosed an image that she studied thoughtfully.

Her companion joined her and gazed at the circle. He sighed when he saw the three people enclosed.

"So we're going to have to be playing against him?"

She pursed her lips. "I don't know, but he is still fallible. It's the other I'm more concerned about."

"Divide and conquer?"

"If we can keep tabs on the divided that's probably our best bet. _Finite incantatem_." The circle of fire turned into a drop of water, which sizzled on contact with the lava.

She turned, looking her companion straight in the eye. "Time is short. We must begin now if we are to succeed."

"As you wish."

* * *

**__**

Six months later…

Harry sighed, removing his glasses from his face and rubbing his eyes. He didn't know how much longer he could stand to look at his _Millennial Magic: Prophecies, Texts, and Artifacts_ textbook. He had yet to start on the term paper that was going to be due in two weeks; hell, he hadn't even picked a topic yet. While ancient magic intrigued him, which is why he went to graduate school in the first place, writing term papers did not appeal to him in the least.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Harry grabbed his wand as a precaution and slowly approached it, when he heard a rather annoyed voice mutter, "Dammit, where did those bloody keys get too? Stupid Muggle locks…" 

Harry chuckled to himself, relaxing as he unlocked the door to let Ron, who was still searching his pockets for his keys, in. Ron never quite understood the logic of having Muggle locks placed on their doors, even though he and Hermione had explained to him over and over again that it would make it harder for wizards to break in because they weren't used to such things. Normally a simple _alohomora_ spell would fix that, but Hermione had the foresight to make it spell-proof…or almost spell-proof at least. She didn't know _everything_, so there might have been one or two she forgot to protect the lock against, but all three rather doubted it.

Ron shook his head as Harry closed the door behind him and wearily collapsed onto the couch. "The Ministry's up in arms over the theft of something from _Australia_ of all places, although I don't know why a petty theft is important to the Defense Council. It's insane, I've never felt like such a gofer in all my life." 

Unfortunately, being a gofer for the Ministry's Defense Council was somewhere in Ron's job description. As the liaison to the council, he often had to work with other departments on different subjects, which boiled down to basically explaining what the council wanted and getting stamps of approval from various departments. Occasionally, due to his experience with the Dark Arts (inadvertently thanks to Harry) he was asked to look over Defense council propositions and pick out flaws and such, which he'd always been pretty good at. Even though Ron complained about his job, especially when things were hectic, Harry knew that he really felt like he belonged there. 

"Australia? Well, we are friendly with them, so if it was important I guess we should be concerned."

Ron ran a hand through his fire-red hair distractedly. "It's not quite that simple, I'm afraid. I probably shouldn't be talking about it anyway. Is Hermione home yet? It's her turn to cook and I'm starving."

Harry shook his head. "Nope, she's probably reviewing one last article before–"

He was interrupted by a resonant beep from the WizardComm, a newfangled communication device that reminded Harry of a crystal ball holder, on his study table. He walked over to it, followed closely by Ron.

"Incoming message for Harry Potter from Hermione Granger," it chirped. "Please insert wand for retrieval."

Harry took out his wand and placed it in one of the holes that was in the WizardComm. Instantly the hole tightened around the wand, fastening it in place and small electric beams grew about a foot into the air as the 'Comm drew dormant magic from it. An image formed, showing Hermione at her desk from about the waist up.

"Hi Harry," Hermione started before noticing Ron was there too. "Oh, hello there Ron, sorry I'm late. We just got a break on a story and it really needs to get out in the morning edition, so things are a bit chaotic around here…" They saw her catch a file folder out of mid-air and mouth her thanks to someone before turning back to the 'Comm.

After Hogwarts, many people expected Hermione to become a teacher or go to graduate school, so she surprised everyone when she decided to take a job offer at the Daily Profit. After her experiences with Rita Skeeter, who left her job at the Daily Prophet quite quickly after covering the Triwizard Tournament for some "mysterious" reason,she felt the media was entirely too undiscriminating and untrustworthy, willing to believe anything that would make waves, and she wanted to help change that. Hermione, being Hermione, rose through the ranks quickly, becoming the youngest editor the Daily Profit had seen for nearly two hundred years. She took her job seriously, and it was widely known that her stories and editorials were wellresearched and never, to this day, held incorrect information. She was well respected in the media world and now held a significant amount of political power, enough to make or break someone based on her powerful commentaries. You did not want to be on the wrong side of her quill.

Ron chuckled as she opened the file, skimming it briefly. "I know what you mean, things were a bit wild around the Ministry today too. I was just telling Harry about how bonkers everyone's going about some theft in another country that has no bearing on us whatsoever. It's insane, I tell you."

Harry thought he saw Hermione start a bit at this news, but was sure he imagined it when he saw her merely raising a curious eyebrow. "Where?"

"Oh, Australia. It's nothing important, honest. When do you expect to be home?"

"Yeah, I'm starving," Harry piped up.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I don't know, an hour, maybe less. Go get some Chinese takeout, there's a wonderful little Muggle restaurant around the corner. Harry, you have some Muggle money lying around, don't you?"

Harry searched his pockets and come up with a bit. "Um, yeah, think twenty would do it?"

"Eh, thirty ought to be enough. I think I see another ten by the couch over there." She pointed in that direction and Harry turned around, his green eyes searching for the cash. Finally, his eyes landed on the ten-pound note. He walked over to get it, adding it to the twenty he already had. 

"Yup, I've got it," he called out.

"Alright, I trust you two to order for me, I'll be home as soon as I can. Night." 

"Night, Herm," they called in unison as they saw her figure bend over and take out her wand. The picture then turned back into lightning bolts, which quickly dissipated when Harry took his wand out from the 'Comm and sat down on the couch. He promptly made himself comfortable and tossed Ron the money, who caught it in mid-air, giving Harry an 'I-don't-think-so' kind of look.

"Get me an order of their General Gau's Chicken, two egg rolls, and some House Fried Rice. Hermione usually sticks to Shrimp Lo Mein and spring rolls," Harry said nonchalantly.

Ron held up his hands. "Hey, who said I was going to get the food? I've been on my feet all day trying to help the Council make heads or tails of this theft thing and all you've been doing is studying your arse off for some term paper."

"Ron, you like the word 'arse' far too much. Especially when it comes to Hermione," Harry joked.

Ron looked indignant. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Right. And Crookshanks loves Pig."

"Well…err…I suppose if I had to _choose_ or something…" He muttered, ears turning slightly pink.

Harry shook his head. "It's around the corner to the left. If you go now I won't say anything about this to Hermione."

"Oh bloody hell, alright then, have it your way. General Gau's Chicken and eggs rolls for you, Shrimp Lo Mein and spring rolls for Hermione."

"And don't forget the House Fried Rice!" Harry called as Ron slammed the door shut.

* * *

"Mmmm, that smells good. Whoever ordered for me just got major brownie points. Is that Shrimp Lo Mein?" Hermione said as she entered, quickly kicking off her shoes. She was at the living room table in a flash, already picking at the food with her chopsticks. "Harry, you're a saint."

"Hey! What makes Harry any more saint-like than me?" Ron protested, a mock-hurt look on his face. 

"Because you never would have remembered what kind of Chinese I like. Ooh, and spring rolls too, I think you just got promoted Harry. You're right up there with oxygen."

Ron now looked quite annoyed."_He_ gets all the thanks after I spent an hour in the freezing cold trying to understand some crazy person who spoke only Chinese, then gave me the wrong order, _then_ claimed my money wasn't good enough, and finally started speaking English just to laugh in my face–"

Hermione took the remainder of one of her spring rolls and stuffed in Ron's mouth. "Ron, dear, silence is golden."

Ron looked like he was about to explode, ears turning bright red, but then he remembered he had a spring roll in his mouth and chewed on it reluctantly, shooting daggers at Hermione the entire time. Harry had to cover his mouth with a napkin to control his laughter.

"Don't you even start, Harry," Ron said as he swallowed the spring roll, making a face as he did.

Harry looked around, wide-eyed and innocent. "Start what, Ron? I have no idea what you're talking about. Unless it's about Hermione's–"

Ron waved a Peking Ravioli at Harry threateningly. "Harry, I'm warning you…"

Hermione, however, looked genuinely puzzled. "What are you two talking about?"

"Nothing," they said in unison, beginning to eat their food again quietly.

Hermione glared at both of them, dropping her chopsticks. "All right, what's going on? And don't you dare say nothing." Ron closed his mouth.

Harry shrugged. "Nothing major. Ron just commented on the fact that you have a nice arse earlier tonight." 

Ron covered his face with his hands, ears turning bright red again. Hermione, blushing slightly, merely turned her gaze to Ron, resembling a stern Professor McGonagall so much that Harry nearly shivered.

"Well, Ronald Weasley, what do you have to say for yourself?"

"Um…Oh, Harry, I'm going to get you for this!" Ron threw his Ravioli at Harry, hitting him square in the forehead, leaving a trail of sauce dripping down his face.

"Ron, I don't think you should have done that…" Harry said as Ron got a plateful of Lo Mein dumped over his head by Hermione. She winked at Harry, who grabbed the duck sauce, attempting to top Ron off, but Ron grabbed it as well, forcing it all over Hermione.

Everything stopped. Hermione was looking down at her shirt with a shocked expression on her face. Then, out of the blue, she grinned and dumped the sweet and sour sauce all over Harry's head.

"Now that we're all equally messy, we can finish dinner…or what we have left of it. I'm still starved," she added, dumping some more Lo Mein on her plate and beginning to eat. She glanced up to see Harry and Ron staring at her incredulously. "What?" She asked around a mouthful of food.

They shook their heads. "Nothing," they replied in unison again. Hermione rolled her eyes, but let it go. 

The rest of dinner was a peaceful affair.

* * *

"Ron, there's something I need to talk to you about," Hermione said, towel-drying her hair as she sat down across from the couch. Harry was in his bedroom actually writing up his term paper after finally deciding on a topic, so she decided this was probably the best time to talk.

"Shoot." Ron looked up from his magazine.

"This evening I got an anonymous tip from someone who said they had something big for the Daily Prophet, something big enough to make the front headline. Naturally I was interested, so I had it brought in. That was the file folder you saw me catch when I was talking to you."

Ron nodded. "Go on."

"Well, how much do you really know about that theft in Australia?"

This got his attention. He sat up, staring at her intensely. "I think the question is, how much do you know?"

Hermione rubbed her forehead. "A decent amount. Enough to see why the ministry was in a panic. Apparently this item, the Syphon Blade, was stolen from the Australian Institute for Dangerous Artifacts. It was under high security, several Aurors constantly patrol the place, especially at night, and it's a joint effort between countries due to the nature of the artifacts held there. If someone can breech security there, they can get anything anywhere – this may have been just a warning and the Syphon Blade a random artifact, but something is telling me that's not the case."

Ron nodded. "That explains everything. No one bothered to fill me in on exactly what was going on, but I gathered about that much from the papers I was pushing around all day. I'll bet they'll call me into an early meeting tomorrow, fill me in, and tell me it's all classified information." He sighed. "How many other people know about this?"

"It was a sealed file, so only me and whomever tipped me off."

"And me."

Ron and Hermione turned their heads to find Harry leaning against the wall that divided the kitchen from the living room. "Sorry, I was getting some tea and I overheard that part about the Syphon Blade being stolen. I think you're right Hermione, it wasn't a random strike."

"What's so special about the Syphon Blade, then?" Ron asked.

"A lot. It's probably one of the more dangerous artifacts kept in the Aussie Institute. You see, the Syphon Blade was similar to a pensieve in the fact that it absorbed insubstantial things, but instead of thoughts it would absorb your soul bit by bit, draining your life and magic away from you until you died. It was a very useful weapon that King Eldritch, a warlord from long ago, had fashioned into a sword that he used to conquer Australia. When he was defeated, the sword was broken, but the Blade couldn't be, so it was buried deep in the Great Victoria Desert. It was found about fifty years ago by a Muggle archeological team who thought it was nothing more than quartz…until they all ended up dead within a week. It was taken by some Aurors to the Institute soon afterwards where it's been kept under heavy guard ever since."

"Heavy combined guard. There are probably at least five countries involved, since every country who has an artifact placed in the institute is required to provide at least ten Aurors to help defend it." Hermione added.

"Why does everyone find out about these things _before_ me? I'm the Ministry official here and I'm being outdone by a reporter and a grad student," he said, trying to lighten the mood. He got a small, sympathetic smile out of Hermione, but the attempt still fell flat.

Harry sat on the chair next to Hermione and put his tea down on the table. "I suppose the question is what do we do with this new found information?"

"Nothing. We're going to stay out of this and leave it to the ministry. I trust Hermione kept it out of the paper…" Ron looked over at her for conformation and she nodded, "and I know that you can keep a secret, Harry. There's nothing we can do about this so we just have to let it lie. Agreed?"

Harry and Hermione reluctantly consented. Hermione was the first to stand with a yawn.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm exhausted. I'm going to bed." She walked over to Ron and kissed him on the cheek, whispering, "Don't let this keep you up late, okay?" He smiled, feeling his ears turn slightly pink again, and she patted his shoulder before giving Harry a hug and going back to her room.

"I should at least finish my first draft tonight. 'Night Ron." Harry said, picking up his tea and following Hermione, leaving Ron alone with his thoughts.

Ron stretched out on the couch again and picked up his magazine, flipping though the pages absently. He sighed, knowing he wouldn't be able to concentrate on anything but the robbery that night, and whispered, "_Nox_" to the light next to him. He walked down the short hall to his room, flopped down onto his bed, and stared at the ceiling for a good long time before finally drifting off to a thankfully dreamless sleep.

* * *

"They're on to us."

"No, not really. What they have can be considered common information. They know even less about us than we know about them. We have the advantage here…for the moment at least."

"But what if they find– "

"Find what? We left no trace behind in Australia that I know of, which is why everyone is so baffled. Yes, there's a prophecy out there pertaining to this, but I agree with you when it comes to that. Prophecies are nothing but clues to the future that only fit the puzzle after the time has passed to use them."

"But what if they find out how to use it? We did, and they're at least as smart as we are…"

The woman looked at her companion strangely. "You're worried. You shouldn't be, you know. You were just reassuring me a while back, why must we switch places?"

He stiffened. "I didn't reassure you, I told you the truth."

She smiled. "To be able to hear the truth from a companion's lips is reassurance enough. However, you may be right. Perhaps we should pay more attention to prophecies than we have been. I'd rather be cautious than reckless when dealing with something of this magnitude. Maybe it will give us something we can use against him."

"Why not pre-empt his strike and prevent the problem in the first place? Killing him– "

"Would get the attention of the wrong people at the wrong time and a hundred obstacles would rise up in our faces. No, we can't do that."

"What about a…warning?"

"You're entirely too violent. While normally I would not object, how would he see this as a warning? And how would we warn him in such a way as to divide them?" She shook her head. "There's no reason to connect us to anything at the moment. We must simply bide our time. Trust me, we will have to take action…soon. _Finite Incantatem_."

The hiss of water falling onto fire sounded throughout the darkness.

* * *

Harry sighed. His rough draft was done, but he was so sick of the paper that he decided to take a break from it. Unfortunately, with both Hermione and Ron at work and his classes over for the day, he didn't have much to occupy himself with, so he opened up his text book to the "Prophecies" section and began flipping through it, looking for an absurd one to laugh at.

What he found, however, didn't make him laugh one bit. He scanned the pages twice to make sure he had it all straight before dashing to the WizardComm in the other room and inserting his wand.

"Identification?" The 'Comm chirped.

"Harry Potter." 

The 'Comm shot lightning into the air. "Confirmed. Who would you like to call?"

"Ron Weasley, Ministry of Magic, and Hermione Granger, Daily Prophet."

"One moment, please."

Harry waited impatiently before Ron, and then Hermione showed up in a split screen before him.

"What's wrong, Harry? You look like the world's coming to an end." Hermione commented.

"It might be. We're in deep trouble."

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Author's Note: I'd like to thank George Weasley's Girlfriend for helping me out (a _lot_) on my latest adventure into JK Rowling's turf, I don't know where I'd be without her editing skills and helpful hints. This was an introductory chapter and I admit it had a lot of fluff in it, but don't worry, I'll build the plot up in future chapters. Thanks for reading and please review! (Oh, and the title roughly translates to "to heal through fire". It'll come into play later. It's in Latin for no apparent reason, I just thought it'd be cool to have a Latin title.)


	2. Of Doom, Destruction, and Orange Juice

**Disclaimer: *sniff* As much as I'd love to claim Harry and the gang as my own, I must acknowledge the fact that they belong to their creator, the lovely and talented J.K. Rowling.Any spells, artifacts, and other people/things you don't recognize are mine.Man, now I feel greedy…but it had to be said!Honest!**

**Note:This takes place in 2003, five years after Harry, Ron, and Hermione graduated from Hogwarts.Oh, and since this _is chapter two, I highly recommend reading [chapter one ][1]in order to understand what's going on.I also sincerely apologize for the formatting of the prophecy, but I've been fighting with my word processor for over an hour and this is the best I can do.I'm truly sorry and I hope it doesn't take away from the story._******

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### Medicor per Ignis

by Krystyn Poe

# Part Two – Of Doom, Destruction, and Orange Juice

Ron exchanged a worried look with Hermione through the WizardComm.Even though he was at home, Harry felt more stressed out than either Ron or Hermione looked.Ron then stared at him, finally responding with, "We're in trouble _again?"_

Harry nodded."Yes, again.Well, provided I read this right."

"Read what right?Harry, what's going on?"Hermione queried.

Harry sighed."I was flipping through my text book when I found a prophecy that seems to pertain to the theft of the Syphon Blade."

Hermione immediately rolled her eyes."Harry, I've got a lot of work to do; I can't be bothered by some ancient 'premonition' someone decided to call a prophecy for kicks."She said, scolding him as if he was ten all over again.

Ron nodded."She has a point, Harry.The prophecy isn't going anywhere, we– " he glanced at Hermione, " –well, _I can take a look at it when I get home."_

"But right here it says– "

"–nothing that has any bearing on the present.If it had a news tip for something that'll happen tomorrow, then I _might pay attention, but really, Harry.I never thought you were a big believer in all that divination crap anyway," Hermione interrupted, crossing her arms defiantly._

"I'm not, but this is different!The last few prophecies we've studied had a significant impact– "

"History doesn't always repeat itself.If it'll make you happy I'll agree to look at it when I get home, too, all right?"

Harry wilted."Fine, but don't come running to me if the world suddenly explodes beneath your feet," he muttered, but Hermione didn't hear him.She'd already turned off her 'Comm and gotten back to work, leaving him alone with Ron.

"Don't worry about it, she's always like that when it comes to divinatory stuff.She'll be fine by tonight.That prophecy's been around for ages, a few more hours won't hurt."

"I suppose you're right.Just try to come home at a decent hour, okay?"

"Will do.See you later, Harry.Oh, and do you think you could pick up some more of that fruit stuff at the grocery store…what did Hermione call it?"

Harry smiled."Orange juice, Ron.It's orange juice."

"Right.Orange juice…well, it makes a nice change from pumpkin juice, and we're out I think," Ron said, still sounding slightly unsure of himself.

"Did you want the concentrate or the ready made?"

"Huh?"Ron looked completely baffled.

"Did it come in a jug or a frozen can?"

"How was I supposed to know?Hermione picked it up last time," he said indignantly. 

"You know, you're being real helpful here, Ron," Harry remarked sarcastically.

"It's not _my fault!" he protested._

"Don't worry, I'll find some.Bye, Ron."

"Yeah, bye, Harry.Hey, where do you think you're going with that– !"

Harry rolled his eyes as Ron went to stop some intern from bothering the Council and retrieved his wand from the 'Comm.He looked at his textbook once again and the feeling that he was supposed to be doing something other than just going to the grocery store welled up inside of him.However, since feeling you had to do something and actually knowing what to do were two completely different things, he book marked the page, grabbed his coat, and left the loft to go looking for orange juice.

***

"They found it!I don't believe it, after all the months we spent looking for this thing they find it without even trying– !"

"Calm down, Gerard.This is a significant setback, but nothing's been ruined yet.They may have found the prophecy, but they don't have any idea what it means.Besides, you saw her reaction.She doesn't believe in prophecies in the slightest."

"Well, you didn't either."

"Not until I had some evidence that it might be true.We had to look for our evidence, but unfortunately they probably have enough to start paying attention already.We may have to do as you suggested and send them a warning soon."

"Why not now?"

"Because they still won't connect it to us.Until they know more, which I have a sneaking suspicion will happen sooner rather than later, they won't understand the warning.It will just inspire them to work harder to understand what's going on.We must wait." 

"But you yourself said we don't have much time…"

The mask of indifference that had become her face over the past few months softened a bit."You're right, we don't, but we've got to play this carefully.They can't get in my way, I won't let them, no matter what any silly prophecy says.They will _not win this time, no matter what the consequence!"She said vehemently._

A small beep resonated through the chamber.The woman checked her watch sadly."It's three o'clock.I'd best leave.Tell me if anything important develops."

The man, Gerard, nodded."As you wish.God bless."

"Yes, God bless."

***

"Okay Harry, where's this so-called 'prophecy' thing you wanted me to look at?"Hermione said reluctantly, after changing out of her work robes into more comfortable clothing.

"Right….here," Harry said, flipping through the text looking for the book marked portion.He laid it out in front of Hermione who read it over thoughtfully."Pay special attention to stanzas one, six, and seven."

Hermione glanced it over, and then looked up at Harry, startled."This isn't some sort of practical joke, is it?Because if it is…"

"Hermione, do I look like a poet to you?I can't write stuff like this!Besides, I'm not into the whole 'doom' thing.I think that's been done quite enough."

Hermione nodded slowly as he glanced down, sighing a bit.No doubt he was applying a few choice memories to his last words.He'd managed to move beyond most of the obstacles that had popped up during his lifetime, but every now and then they'd come back to haunt him.And now it looked like there was one more thing he was going to have to deal with…

The door opened and someone stepped through."Ah hah, I think I'm finally getting the hang of those key things…"

Hermione gave a small smile as she saw Ron enter the room."What's with the long faces?Surely this prophecy thing can't be _that bad." _

Harry turned around to face them again, apparently having dealt with whatever demon had just been bothering him temporarily."Oh, good you're here.I want you to take a look at this thing for yourself."

Hermione passed the book to him and Ron looked it over, eyes widening as he read the contents of the page.__

When you fasten Syphon's Blade / To heaven's hilt, beware / When fire is focused by harmony / Healing destruction beyond compare

_ _

_Drawn apart for reason / Assembled they will claim / From poverty and rich alike / Lives lost in flame_

_ _

_When carefully assembled / A new form they assume / The element of healing / Or possibly great doom_

_ _

_One must beware / That when healing is in sight / Great sacrifices must be made / Ashes absorbed by the ancient rite_

_ _

_Through death comes healing / And this will heal all / Through the power of fire / And his downfall_

_ _

_There is one who will stop those / Who wish to use this healing spell / A companion of lightning, he's not alone / This much I can foretell_

_ _

_Three is the sacred number / So three of them shall be / Compatriots in kind / It is not the she_

_ _

_Just remember that fire / Is the key to all of this / And when fire is fought by flame / The healing magic goes amiss_

_ _

Ron stared at it for a moment."That's some prophecy."

Hermione nodded."Yes, it is, isn't it.Now look carefully at stanzas one, six and seven."

Ron read them again compliantly."It mentions the Syphon's Blade…" he said slowly."And…oh no, not again…"

Harry sighed."I was hoping one of you two would tell me that it's not saying what I think it's saying."

"Well, I'm not sure how much clearer than 'companion of lightning' you can get," Ron said.

"Well…it could be a coincidence…" Hermione started, a bit unsurely.

"Oh, right, how many other people with lightning bolt scars do _you know walking around?And one who's part of a trio of friends at that!Not to mention the fact that the Syphon's Blade just __happened to be stolen during my lifetime…" Harry bitterly retorted._

"Harry, calm down.Hermione was just saying there's a possibility that it means someone else.After all, these things _are pretty vague," Ron interrupted, and Hermione shot him a quick, thankful look._

Harry sighed again."You're right.Sorry, Herm, I didn't mean to get carried away…it's just…it's just that I wish sometimes I could give this scar away to someone else, you know?"He finished, almost wistfully.

Hermione nodded thoughtfully.There was a moment of silence before she spoke up."But you're right.The most logical conclusion is that it is referring to us, you in particular, and with the Blade's disappearance we can't treat this as lightly as I'd like to.Even if this isn't true, there may be someone else who thinks it is."

"Which could be become a big problem in the near future.Assuming Hermione's correct, that means whoever it is wants to assemble whatever this is, and apparently it's pretty destructive," Ron added.

Harry nodded."Then what about all those references to healing?What's with that?"

Ron shrugged."I'm not sure.It looks like one causes the other, but that's not possible.You know, why can't the people who write these just spit it out in plain English instead of making us go through the work of trying to interpret it?"

"Because that would be easy, and the people who wrote these obviously put a lot of time and effort into trying to baffle us.I'm sure they're happy to know it's working," Hermione commented.

Harry smiled."Well, I hope someone's happy about it, because it certainly isn't making me want to jump for joy."

There was another pause in the conversation as everyone tried to gather their thoughts on the subject. 

"So what do we do now?"Harry asked.

"Well…do you think the Defense Council would listen to something like this, Ron?"Hermione looked at him questioningly.

Ron hesitated."I'm not sure.Some of the more liberal members might take to it because 'Syphon's Blade' is too clear to deny, and it's pretty clear that Harry is the target of it.Some of them wouldn't believe it no matter what I say because they just don't like me.I think I accidentally burst a couple of egos when I pointed out flaws in some of their plans.But overall…I guess it's worth a shot.At the very least they should be made aware of it."

Hermione nodded."Sounds good to me.In the mean time we should try to find out what the rest of the first stanza is referring to."

Harry groaned."I don't think I'm going to have much time to devote to it.My term paper is due next week and I've only written the first draft, and a rather poor one at that.Then the week after I have exams, then graduation.I don't think I'm going to get much extra research done between now and then."

Hermione covered her mouth with her hands in shock."Oh my gosh, I forgot all about that!Harry, when's the graduation ceremony?I'm glad you reminded me now, I never would have remembered."

Harry had started graduate school late due to the fact he wanted, and really needed, an extended vacation.He took the rest of the year off after his seventh year at Hogwarts and started school at Weyrlock's Wizarding College, a rather good but relatively small school on the outskirts of London, in February.(He managed to get special permission to forgo the January term that year in exchange for taking an extra credit course during his four years there.)His four years at the school, which were spent mostly delving into the history of the wizarding world, were about to be up in December, when the school held a smaller graduation ceremony for the students who, like Harry, had joined up during February.

"Er…" he paused to think."Two weeks from Saturday, I believe.Right after exams.It's a bit late this year."

"That is a bit late.Hermione, I don't suppose you'd happen to have a quill on you?"Ron asked.

"No, not at the moment._Accio quill."The quill flew through the loft to her hand, and she handed it to Ron."Here you go."_

"I don't suppose – oh, this is one of those self-inking ones.Thanks," he promptly began to scrawl a few notes on his hand.

"You know, I always thought parchment worked better to record important dates on," Hermione commented.

"Well, maybe for you, but I don't feel like getting up to get any at the moment.Besides, I'm much more likely to lose a piece of parchment than my hand anyway."

Harry smiled."You have to give him that, Hermione."

She rolled her eyes."Oh, I suppose."

"Well, there's some soup on the counter when either of you get hungry, though you'll probably need to use a warming charm.I was hoping you'd get home a bit earlier.I'm going to go work on that blasted paper of mine," Harry said, getting up from the table and scooping up his book.

"Actually, do you think I could borrow your book for a bit, Harry?If I'm sending a proposition to the Council I'll need to copy the prophecy from it," Ron said.

"Oh, sure.Just give it back when you're done," he handed Ron the book and left for the seclusion of his room.Hermione also deserted him, going into the kitchen to get a cup of soup.

"Hey Hermione, you'll proofread this for me when I finish, right?"She heard him call.

"Of course I will.I do want them to take you seriously, you know."

She heard him sigh before responding sardonically with, "Thanks for your vote of confidence, Herm."

"Not a problem."She finished warming up her soup before going into the living room, picking up a book from the table on the way.

"_Singing in the Shower, by Jana Weasley.Hmmm, this ought to be interesting…" she mused."Chapter one…"_

***

There was a faint pop behind her, causing her to start.She turned around and her eyes widened in surprise before narrowing dangerously."What do you think you're doing, Apparating here like that!You're supposed to be watching for new developments.Please tell me that you didn't Apparate from the chamber, at least."

He shook his head."I didn't, I know better than that.There's been a new development– "

"Shhhh.She's sleeping now.I don't want you to wake her."

She motioned for him to sit and did the same.He continued, lowering his voice so as not to disturb the sleeping woman in the other room.

"They've figured out part of what it means.They recognized the fact that the Syphon's Blade is in there, and they know it pertains to them specifically, however they figured out no more.They have no idea what the remaining artifacts are, although they figured out that something needs to be assembled."

The sitting woman breathed a sigh of relief."That's not too bad.It could have been much worse."

"There's more.And I don't think you're going to like it."

"Well, don't keep me waiting.I want to know what we're up against."

"Apparently he's going to be bringing this before the Defense Council."

She swore."That's bad.The more people who know about it the worse off we are.Is there any way we can stop him from getting to the Council tomorrow?"

He thought a moment."Perhaps.We can try at least.Due to their anti-Apparation charms on the loft he has to find a secluded place outside before Apparating to work.There should be enough time to get in place…"

She shook her head."Is there any way besides grabbing him?That'll attract attention…"

"Yes, but it will draw attention away from the first theft so we can complete the second without the Ministry noticing."

"But it would also get them to take the prophecy with a grain of truth if we fail."

"We _won't fail.As you said before, we can't fail."_

"God willing we can't."She sighed, deep in thought.There were so many things that could go wrong, but she couldn't think of another way to keep the prophecy from the Council.There wasn't much of a choice here; either they started taking the offensive now or things would become much more difficult.And with him in their possession…

She nodded."Do it, but if he escapes I will _not be pleased."_

He stood."As you wish."

***

**_The Next Morning…_**

Ron paced the floor of the loft nervously."Well?"

"It looks okay to me, Ron.Don't worry so much, I'm sure the meeting will go fine," Hermione tried to reassure him.

"I'm just afraid they're going to think I'm a lunatic.I was lucky to be able to get on the agenda this morning, and if I blow it they'll never take me seriously again."He sighed."I can't not be nervous about it."

Hermione picked up the stack of proposals and handed it to him, temporarily stopping his pacing."Well, just don't think about it until later.The meeting isn't until ten and I don't want you fretting for the next two hours.You'll worry yourself sick."She put her hands on his shoulders to stop him from pacing again."Now just calm down, close your eyes, and breathe for a moment.Count three in, hold for three, and four out.Think of nothing but the breathing."

Ron opened an eye and peaked out at her."How is this going to help me?"

"Humor me.Now just concentrate on your breathing.One two three in…one two three…one two three four out.One two three in…"

Strangely enough, Ron felt himself calming down as he listened to Hermione's soothing voice and matched his breathing to it.He rolled his shoulders a bit and then opened his eyes to look down at her face, which had a hint of a smile on it.

"Well?"She asked.

"It actually helped.That's a neat little trick, where'd you pick it up?"

She shrugged."I don't remember actually.Some summer vacation a while back.Ready to go?"

After making sure he had everything, Ron nodded."Yup.Are you coming with me today?"

"I don't see why not.We can both Apparate from the same place.Oh, thank you," she added as Ron helped her with her coat.

Just then a tousle-haired Harry walked out, still rubbing the sleep from his eyes."I don't know how you two manage it, I can't stand getting up early."

Ron grinned at him."You manage.See you later, Harry."

"Yeah, bye guys.Hope the meeting goes well."

After one last wave, Ron and Hermione left the loft, locking it behind them.It was only a couple of flights of stairs before the cold December air hit them full force, causing both to snuggle a bit more deeply into their coats.Little clouds came out of their mouths as they passed through the Muggle part of London, looking for an empty alleyway to Apparate from.After a few minutes of searching, Ron took Hermione's hand and tugged on it a bit.

"I see one, this way."

She followed him in between two of the more ratty-looking buildings before pausing suddenly and frowning."Are you sure there isn't another one back there?I have a funny feeling about this place…"

Ron looked at her, a bit puzzled."No, I didn't see another one.If you're worried, then let's just get this over with quickly.I'll see you tonight, Hermione."

"Good luck, Ron."She let go of his hand a bit reluctantly and then they both muttered something, expecting to Apparate away to their respective workplaces.

Their eyes snapped open at the same time and they exchanged a worried look.

"Why didn't it work…?"Hermione wondered, a bit of fear creeping into her voice.

"I don't know…" Ron went for his wand, but before either of them had a chance to react, "_Petrificus totalus!"__ sounded throughout the ally and figures appeared on both ends.They were trapped._

**Author's Note: Well, here we are at the end of chapter two.I'm warning you, though, this chapter came out a lot faster than I expected, there could be as much as a week or two in between parts in the future (although I certainly hope not).Once again, muchas gracias to my wonderful beta reader, [George Weasley's Girlfriend][2] and…that's it!Thanks so much for reading, please review!**

   [1]: http://www.fanfiction.net/index.fic?action=story-read&storyid=153485
   [2]: http://www.fanfiction.net/index.fic?action=Directory-AuthorProfile&UserID=17608



	3. Murder, Mayhem, and Graduation Parties

****

Disclaimer: *sniff* As much as I'd love to claim Harry and the gang as my own, I must acknowledge the fact that they belong to their creator, the lovely and talented J.K. Rowling. Any spells, artifacts, and other people/things you don't recognize are mine. Man, now I feel greedy…but it had to be said! Honest!

****

Note: This takes place in 2003, five years after Harry, Ron, and Hermione graduated from Hogwarts. Oh, and since this _is_ chapter three, I highly recommend reading [chapter one][1] and [chapter two][2].

Apology: Gah! I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to get this chapter out, but all of the sudden the Literary Magazine was due, the Bowling championships were going on, I got a part in the spring musical _Kiss Me Kate_, I had/have a couple of really huge projects to work on, DI meetings to attend, AHHHHH! Seriously, my schedule is so full I can't keep anything straight anymore! In any case, I'm sorry it's taken a couple of months to get this out, and I hope it was worth the wait.

** __**

Medicor per Ignis

by Krystyn Poe

****

Part Three – Murder, Mayhem, and Graduation Parties

Ron's eyes darted around the alley, panicked. There were five hooded people shooting spells at him, two in front of him and three behind. He barely dodged the first spell before remembering that Hermione was with him. His heart jumped into his throat as he saw her arms and legs snap together as she fell to the ground, a shocked look on her face. He dodged another spell as he quickly slid one arm under her knees and the other around her shoulders and ducked behind a dumpster, summoning a couple of garbage bags to cover the other two open sides. It was temporary at best, but it gave him enough time to mutter, "_Finite incantatem_," undoing the Full Body-bind curse. Hermione instantly pulled out her wand, gracing him with him a look of gratitude.

"They'll break it in a second, on my signal we break and run in opposite directions. Apparate away as soon as you get outside the wards. You go right, I'll go left, got it?" He whispered hurriedly.

Looking as though she still couldn't believe what was happening, but was determined to get out of it, she nodded. "But be careful!" She whispered.

As he looked down at her one last time, his stomach plunged with the thought of losing her before telling her how just a simple smile of hers could make his day…but as a spell jabbed through the bags just over his shoulder he decided this wasn't exactly the right time to be thinking like that. Instead he merely squeezed her hand and said, "Three…two…one…GO!" 

They both jumped up and ran through the alley. Ron knew Hermione was closer to the exit than he was, but couldn't help looking over his shoulder at her anyway. She was countering spells like a master, running the whole time. Granting himself a small smile of relief, he dropped into a roll to dodge another spell and yelled, "_Ignicius caelum_!" after getting to his feet, causing a powerful ring of fire to erupt from the tip of his wand and surround at least two of his would-beassailants, leaving one on his end.

Hearing two sets of footsteps run his way, he knew Hermione was safe, causing some of his apprehension to bleed away. He shot, "_Petrificus totalus_!" right back at the third assailant, but missed. Mentally cursing his bad aim, he shot a jelly-legs jinx at one of the two running at him, causing the assailant's aim to be off. The cloaked figured fell to the ground, tripping up the other, leaving Ron only one to deal with.

The remaining attacker shot a fire spell right back at Ron, who barely dodged it, and received a nasty burn on his wand arm. Wincing, he shot, "_Wingardium Levosia_!" and levitated the surprised person into the air.

Just as he reached the sunlight, the two attackers who he had slipped up originally caught up to him, one leaping into a flying tackle that shoved Ron to the ground painfully, sending his wand skidding away. He kicked the person off and made a grab at his wand. As soon as his fingertips touched the precious wooden object he realized that something felt different and he tried to Apparate again. The world suddenly winked out and he felt himself reappear somewhere with a little "Pop!"

He lifted himself to his knees slowly, finally attempting to catch his breath. Looking down at his robes, he found them quite cut up and dirty thanks to the 'little scuffle' he had just been in. His hands and other various body parts didn't seem to fair much better than his robes and as the adrenaline began to wear off the pain in his right arm came back full force. He winced again, not daring to look at it, and found himself blinking back a sticky fluid. He gently put his hand to his forehead and pulled it away to find his fingers stained red. Obviously those guys had meant business.

"Ah, I was wondering when you'd get here, Ron – Great Wizards, what happened to you?!" His part-time assistant, Jana Weasley, (his sister-in-law through George) rushed to his side and helped him stand. He wobbled a bit once up on his feet, but Jana helped him sit down in a chair and he groaned slightly because moving really _hurt_.

"By Merlin, your arm…I'm getting the medic right away; don't move a muscle!"

The next few moments were a bit hazy for Ron. He remembered telling the Ministry medic not to move him to any sort of hospital and telling Jana not to worry so much or to owl anyone about his condition. There was no need to worry anybody about something that was already over and done with. As the medic finished healing his arm and applied some stronger pain-killing charms, the world began to snap into focus. He shook his head and looked around a bit to reorient himself before finally beginning to tune in on what Jana was saying.

"…and so I told her you were all right, but you couldn't speak to her right now…"

"Wait, told who what?" Ron asked, interrupting her worried ramblings.

She looked relieved to see him at least somewhat alert again. "Hermione. She called your office on the WizardComm to see if you were all right."

Now it was his turn to look relieved. The fact that Hermione was well enough to call him made him feel much more at ease about the whole situation. It would definitely be a bargaining chip in his favor at the Defense Council meeting…

His head shot up and he almost panicked again. "Jana, what time is it?" He asked quickly.

"About nine-thirty. Oh Ron, you aren't seriously thinking about presenting your proposal this morning, are you? After _this_?"

"I have to, this just makes it all the more urgent. Did I happen to bring any papers with me? I don't recall…" He started to look around for them when he saw Jana shake her head.

"No, you didn't. I'll summon them for you, though." She went over to a window, opened it, and then summoned his now slightly tarnished proposals from the streets of Muggle London. Anyone who saw the flying papers would think it was merely the wind picking up and wouldn't give it a second thought.

By nine-fifty everything was in order. Ron had changed robes (he had spare ones in his office) and had gone over everything at least ten times. If he wasn't ready now, he'd never be. All he had to do was wait.

* * *

"Ms. Granger, I need to ask you the biggest favor of my life!"

Hermione looked up from her work at the anxious girl in front of her. "What is it?"

"I just got an owl from the Ministry of Magic saying that I could go over and interview one of their employees, but only this afternoon. I was scheduled to do an interview with the family of some old woman who's dying of a terminal disease; something called Leptor's Syndrome, I believe. Do you think you could cover for me?"

Hermione sighed. "Perhaps. Who are you interviewing?"

The girl grinned. "That's the best part – I get to interview Percy Weasley himself! It's the opportunity of a lifetime! Oh, please, could you cover for me? You're the only one who could…"

Hermione stared at her. "Percy Weasley?" She sighed. What was this girl thinking? The opportunity of a lifetime? "Miss Glossop, are you sure you can't get an interview with anyone…higher up in the system?"

"Why would I want to? I'm sure Mr. Weasley will have loads of information to tell us about all the different levels and branches."

__

Oh, sure. And I'll bet half of it will have to do with cauldron bottoms being too thin and all that nonsense, Hermione thought. 

"Please, Ms. Granger? Just this once?"

Silently cursing herself for doing so, she agreed, much to the delight of Miss Glossop. "When's the appointment?"

"Three o'clock. Thank you ever so much for doing this! You won't regret it!" Miss Glossop said excitedly as she dashed out of Hermione's office.

__

I sure hope not, she thought.

* * *

Ron stood in front of a large, semi-circular, raised desk that made him feel rather small as he watched the people occupying seats around it exchange murmured comments. He has just finished the first part of his proposal and was currently waiting for questions to be asked of him, because he knew there would be some, especially from Mr. Azeri. He was definitely the most skeptical member of the Defense Council and would take his entire presentation with a large grain of salt. He was not the type to believe in prophecies and such, whereas most of the other members might be persuaded. His best bet, actually, was to depend on support from Miss Bakua, who had actually been originally trained at a psychologist. She would defend his claim that even if the prophecy wasn't true, someone clearly believed it was. He glanced around at them nervously, and found Azeri looking at him disdainfully. If he didn't dislike Ron before, he certainly did now.

Ron was the most likely candidate to replace Mr. Azeri on the Council when he retired, which would be in five years or less, because of his close work with the council. While he was officially just a liaison and a gofer, he was frequently called upon as a consultant as well. Ron's instinctive knowledge of tactics was very use to the council in many ways and had gained him a few supporters…but after he pointed out a gaping hole in one of Mr. Azeri's proposals the elder man could not be counted among them.

"Alright, Mr. Weasley, even if we assume that this prophecy is true," Mr. Azeri began in a scoffing tone, "how can we be sure that your interpretation is correct? Do you have any proof of this?"

Ron cleared his throat. "Well, sir, the first clue, in verse one, refers to the Syphon Blade by name, not attempting to conceal its identity in the least. Because the Syphon Blade has been known by no other name and has never been translated into other languages, we must assume that the prophecy is referring to the stolen artifact. As for the interpretation of verses six and seven, there are many facts that help corroborate this interpretation. For one, 'companion of lightning' clearly refers to Harry Potter because of the lightning-bolt shaped scar on his forehead. It also refers to three compatriots; that would translate to Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and myself. We've been the closest of friends for nearly thirteen years now. The attack on Hermione Granger and myself that took place this morning can also help confirm my interpretation. Seeing as the prophecy specifically said that the 'companion of lighting' would not be alone, the perpetrators may have been seeking to break the prophecy by taking away two of the three, leaving Harry alone and more vulnerable to whatever they may be planning to stop him from interfering with their plans. It is also probably not a coincidence that the attack occurred right before I decided to bring this information to your attention. Whoever is behind all this knows their tactics well."

A murmur of assent ran through the chamber as Mr. Azeri looked a bit taken aback by Ron's answer.

"It's a sound analysis; you have to admit at least that," Miss Bakua said, directing her statement at a sour-looking Mr. Azeri. "And you must take into account the mindset of these people – whether or not this prophecy is true, they clearly believe it is and we must use that to our advantage."

Another murmur went through the room. Most of the other members of the Council had a couple of questions or comments to make about Ron's rather unusual proposal, but before it the session was over, Ron found he finding more approving looks than skeptical ones. When it was time to vote on whether or not to act, Ron was asked to leave the room and spent the next hour pacing nervously outside the door. While he knew he had a great deal of support, there were still several wild cards in the deck and Mr. Azeri would be working hard to swing them to his side. When the aid asked Ron to come back into the chamber, he felt as if a huge amount of lead had been pumped into his stomach and his knees had been unhinged. It took quite a bit of effort on Ron's part to keep his knees from knocking together and his appearance composed, leaving only clammy palms to show his apprehension.

Mr. Baijan, the head of the Defense Council, stepped up to a podium at the head of the raised, semi-circular platform and looked down at Ron emotionlessly.

"It is the decision of this council that we use all available resources to discover the identity of the organization behind the acts in Mr. Weasley's report. Due to the possible severity of the situation a plan of action will for formed and carried out immediately." Mr. Baijan, having said his formal piece, gave a minute smile to Ron. "Any suggestions as to how we should deal with this, Mr. Weasley?"

Ron felt like a tremendous weight had been lifted off his shoulders, but tried to keep his face at least somewhat stoic…still, a small smile of relief could not be helped. "Yes, I have a plan which I would like the Council to consider…" 

* * *

Preceded by a small 'pop' sound, Hermione Apparated into the office and smiled at the woman at the desk. She looked up from her paperwork and grinned back at Hermione.

"Hello Hermione, what brings you by today?" She asked.

"Well, I was wondering if Ron was available? I wanted to see how he was doing after this morning…"

"He's in a meeting with the Council at the moment, but they should be breaking for lunch any moment if you don't mind waiting," she gestured to one of the seats lining the wall to her right.

"I think I just might take you up on that, Jana," Hermione paused to settle herself comfortably in one of the chairs. "But seriously, is he all right? They didn't hit him bad, did they?"

Jana bit her lip a little. "Well, he didn't look too good when he got here, almost passed out in fact, but the medic fixed him right up. I told him he should take the rest of the day off, but he insisted on going to this meeting of his, said it was very important. I never asked, how are you doing? You look much better than he did, even after he was cleaned up."

Hermione nodded. "I'm doing quite well, I managed to get out of it without much more than a few cuts and bruises. They almost seemed to _let_ me go, though, which, now that I think about it, is rather odd…" she trailed off as Ron came walking around the corner, looking thoroughly exhausted. When he saw Hermione he seemed to brighten a bit, though.

"Well you're a sight for sore eyes; how'd you managed to get the time to pop in here?" He said, giving her a friendly hug.

Hermione smiled at him. "Well I couldn't very well concentrate on my work while sitting around worrying about you the whole time. Jana here said you got here looking pretty beat up. As a matter of fact, you look exhausted. You _are_ taking the rest of the day off, right?"

"Are you?"

"Errr…no, not exactly…"

"Then I'm not going to either. The Council is on an extended lunch break at the moment, we're going to resume deliberations in the afternoon. They're pushing everything down on the docket to make room for my proposals."

Hermione's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "They took it seriously?"

Ron nodded. "Yup. There are still a few things that need to be worked out, though."

"Worked out…?"

He shrugged it off. "Don't worry about it. You'll find out soon enough. Now, I'm sure you're just as tired as I am, why don't we take our lunch break at that nice little café downtown? My treat."

Hermione opened her mouth to protest, but then thought the better of it and gave a small smile. "Sure, why not," she said, taking his arm as he lead her out of the office.

Jana shook her head at the two of them as they left. "I just wish they'd come to their senses," she said before getting back to work. 

* * *

Hermione smoothed out her robes slightly before knocking on the door of a small, thatched-roof cottage sitting by the sea. It was a quaint little thing, not exactly what one would expect to see in this day and age; it held a certain feel of timelessness, as if she could have been back in the seventeen hundreds instead of in the twenty-first century. However, since it had no neighboring buildings encroaching upon its space, it didn't seem out of place in the least.

As she raised her hand to the door to knock, it opened before her, exposing a rather young looking woman, not more than twenty-five years of age with straw colored hair and indistinguishably colored eyes. At first she seemed surprised to see Hermione, but quickly covered it up. She seemed very cool and collected as she motioned for Hermione to enter the cottage, which was just as cozy on the inside as it seemed on the outside.

"You must be the reporter form the Daily Prophet who I spoke to a few days ago. You wanted to interview my mother about Leptor's Syndrome?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes, it's quite a rare disease and our readers should know more about it so that they know what to do if it ever effects them."

The woman nodded slowly, giving Hermione a once-over, which made her uncomfortable. The woman's gaze was very unsettling and, for some reason, she found herself wanting to get this interview over with as soon as possible.

The woman gestured for Hermione to sit on an overstuffed chair across a coffee table from her. "Would you like a cup of tea?"

Hermione shook her head. "No, I'm fine, thanks, Miss…"

The woman raised her eyebrow slightly. "Nachesca Balleuw, but I thought you already knew that."

"I'm covering for Miss Glossop; she was originally going to come and interview you and your mother."

"I'm afraid you won't be able to interview my mother, Miss Granger. She's sleeping at the moment, trying to regain her strength. Leptor's Syndrome puts a great strain on the system. At first it's not so bad, you start getting asthmatic-like symptoms when you're ill or exercising, but then numbness creeps into your system, affecting different limbs at different times. It feels like ice is running through your veins as your body temperature drops almost imperceptibly per year. Soon your thoughts become muddled and it's harder to think and function, as your limbs give out at random intervals and your mind clouds over because of the excruciating pain that comes after the numbness leaves. My mother is a very strong woman to have survived it this long and I have faith that a cure will come in time to save her. God would not let a woman such as she die without giving us the chance to save her life."

Hermione nodded, letting her quill record everything Nachesca said. "Has your faith in God helped you deal with your mother's illness?"

Nachesca nodded vehemently. "Most definitely. She would never have come so far without Him, and I never would have either. Our faith in God is what keeps us going each day, and what keeps her alive until He shows us the cure. I have complete faith in the fact that there _is_ a way to cure her and I will not rest until I find it."

The interview went on a bit longer, but was interrupted when a man entered the room. "Nachesca, she's waking up," he said, ignoring Hermione's presence completely.

Nachesca nodded, "I'll be with you in a moment, Gerard. I'm afraid we're going to have to end our interview here, Miss Granger. I need to attend to her."

"Of course," Hermione stood and put away her quill and parchment. "Thank you for agreeing to the interview."

"Oh, it was no trouble. Now, if you'll excuse me…" Nachesca followed Gerard into the other room.

As Hermione left the curious little house and prepared to Apparate, she couldn't help the feeling that she was missing something important, but just shrugged it off as an after effect of the attack this morning. After turning in her report she was taking the rest of the day off for a nice, long bubble bath. That sounded really nice right about then and Hermione smiled in contentment at the thought as she popped back to her office.

* * *

**__**

Two weeks later…

"…and then I told the Muggle that I was a magician and you know what he wanted to do? Hire me for his kid's birthday party! Unfortunately," George shared a knowing smile with Fred, "my associate was going to be out of town just then and I just wouldn't've be able to make it. Funniest damn thing I ever did, that's for sure."

Jason Redding, a college friend of Harry's, and Seamus Finnigan were chuckling at the story as Jana smacked George on the arm lightly. George looked at his wife surprised. "What? I didn't get caught, so everything was fine!"

"Yeah, but turning the limo into a gigantic bunny would've caused quite a lot of noise down there! You should know better than to play with Muggles like that," George rolled his eyes and she walked away huffily.

"Looks like someone won't be getting any tonight," Fred elbowed his brother, who gave him a sour look before getting up from his chair to mingle some more…and look for his wife.

Today had been Harry's graduation from Weyrlock's Wizarding College, a long anticipated event for both him and many of his friends. He was graduating after the winter term, something that was uncommon, but not unheard of. After the ceremony everyone had gone out to eat downtown, and then most ending up back at the trio's apartment, which had been temporarily enlarged for the party. Now, however, it was beginning to piddle out…no surprise since it was near midnight.

George almost bumped into Ron who was sitting alone on a chair, looking rather pensive.

"Why the long face? Today's supposed to be a celebration, not a funeral," he said, sitting down next to the younger Weasley.

Ron just shook his head and sighed. "I've got to tell Harry something that's going to put a rather large damper on the festivities…no, please don't ask, because I can't tell you. It's not horrible, but it's definitely not something I like thinking about."

George frowned. "It has to do with the Ministry, doesn't it?"

Ron nodded. "Yeah…look, I'd rather not discuss it right now. Where's Ginny? I haven't seen her mingling lately."

"Oh, she's over there talking to Harry. It's amazing what ditching the hero-worshipping thing did to their friendship." George watched as Harry started laughing at one of Ginny's horrific work stories. She always seemed to put a funny spin on her stories, keeping them fresh and interesting for each time she told them.

Ron just nodded absently, then got up from his chair and walked over to Harry. He watched Harry excuse himself and follow Ron outside the loft, leaving Ginny to walk over to George smiling.

"'lo George, what are you doing over here all by yourself?"

"Ah, nothing. Just got ditched by our younger brother for Ministry business."

Ginny frowned. "Is that what he went to tell Harry about? That's strange timing, even for Ron. He seemed so uptight about it too; I almost got a Percy flashback from it!"

George grinned at this. If there was one member of the family that was constantly harped on, it was Percy.

Suddenly Crookshanks darted out from Hermione's room, down the hall, and into the living area. Sniffing around all of the people, he soon turned away and wandered lazily towards Ginny, who picked him up and started scratching him behind the ears, much to his delight.

"Well, whatever it is, Ron had beet not ruin Harry's night, isn't that right Crookshanks?" The cat seemed to purr in response, causing George to smile again. Ginny looked at George and cocked her head in the direction of the rest of the people still milling about. "Come on, let's go join the party."

* * *

"So, what is it Ron? Finally asking for advice on how to ask a girl out?" Harry joked as he accompanied Ron onto the rooftop of their building.

Ron, his back facing his friend, shook his head. "You're the last person I'd go to for dating advice; _Percy's _had more luck than you in that area.

"Oh, come on, I'm not quite that bad."

"Eh, well, pretty close. But that's not what I wanted to talk to you about." Ron turned around to look Harry in the eyes and he saw Harry become a bit more serious. "A couple of weeks ago I gave a presentation at the Ministry, about the whole prophecy ordeal."

Harry groaned. "That again? I thought the Ministry was dealing with it."

"Well, they are, but in this case they're going to need some help. Some of our operatives are already in Australia trying to follow some leads on these thieves, but it's hard. They didn't leave any obvious clues. This is where my proposal comes in. Since you're somewhat of an expert in prophecies and artifacts, more so than any of the Ministry officials, we'd like you to come along and see what you can dig up. They're following the regular channels and might come up with something with some historical significance that would lead us to the thieves, or help us figure out the rest of that prophecy. I have to go out and join them tomorrow, and I'd like you to come with me, but it's up to you." Ron finished, feeling a burden lifting off his shoulders as he finally told Harry the news.

Harry blew out a breath and ran his fingers through his unruly hair. "That's some offer. Well, I always wondered what Australia was like, I'll come along, see what I can do…but I'm not promising anything."

"It'll be great to have you along just the same. We'll leave tomorrow morning, okay?"

"Ron, it _is_ tomorrow morning."

Ron started back into the building and they walked along to halls back to their loft. "Okay, so we'll leave later this morning. They'll be expecting us by nine, that's for sure."

Harry shook his head as he opened the door. "Whatever happened to time for sleep – hey, Crookshanks, where do you think you're going?"

Hermione appeared in the doorway a split-second later. "Crookshanks, come back!" She started to dash down the hall after him, but by the time she reached the end, she couldn't see him anywhere. "Crookshanks? Crookie, where are you?"

"Blasted cat, I don't know why she hangs onto him," Ron muttered, crossing his arms as Hermione walked back, discouraged.

"We've got to go look for him, who knows what's out there? What if he gets hurt or…or…killed by some animal out there?" Hermione lamented woefully.

"Hermione, it's past midnight, and we're all tired. Lets just sleep on it and look for him in the morning before we leave," Ron said.

"Leave? Where are you two going?"

"We'll explain in a bit, but Ron's right, I'm sure we'll find him in the morning. He'll be fine, he always is," Harry commented, trying to cheer her up.

"You're probably right…" But she didn't sound convinced, throwing a longing look over her shoulder as Harry put a hand on her back, leading her back into the room. "I just have this feeling that I won't see him again."

"Don't be such a worrywart. We'll find him in the morning. In the mean time we've got a party to clean up," Ron said, looking around at the mess.

"I suppose…" Hermione started to usher the few remaining guests out, but it was clear that her mind wasn't on her work.

* * *

"Dammit! Gerard, you told me you would take care of them. Now not only was he able to speak to the council, they're going off to chase us in Australia!"

"But we've already pulled out of Australia and we didn't leave anything behind, so there shouldn't be a problem."

Nachesca whirled around to stare at him, eyes flashing with a deep felt anger. "The Ministry is now looking for us, which means we're going to have to move more carefully than before. I don't like having them on our trail; it makes me nervous. Besides, what if we did leave something behind without realizing it? We may be cautious, but no one is perfect. Hopefully God is smiling on us and will hide anything we left behind from them."

She turned towards the stone cauldron again, watching the people mill around, cleaning up after their party. She put her hands on the rim of stone and bowed her head, letting out a stressful sigh. There was so much that still needed to be done and now they had even less time to complete it in.

"I want you to send them another warning, one that will get their attention, but not involve us trying to capture them again. We've learned our lesson from that. In the meantime I will prepare for the Chinese expedition. You will meet me there once you've completed your mission. Are we clear?"

"Crystal."

* * *

Hermione yawned as she rolled over in bed, blinking her eyes open sleepily. She pulled a clock off the table next to her bed and brought it with her range of sight. Nine-twenty.

Hermione jolted out of bed. Nine-twenty? She was over an hour late for work! She rummaged around in her closet for a robe to throw on, grabbed her wand and papers and was halfway out the door before she remembered that it was Saturday and she had taken the weekend off. Groaning at her own stupidity, she toasted a bagel and started to munch on it grumpily when Ron and Harry stumbled out of their rooms, bleary eyed and clearly not happy that they'd stayed up late the night before.

"What are you two doing up? I thought you'd be asleep until at least one."

Ron shook his head and went into the kitchen to scrounge up some food. "No, we're leaving on a Ministry trip today, remember?"

"Oh, right, prophecies, stolen artifacts, Australia. I remember." She paused. "Weren't you supposed to be there by nine?"

Harry looked at her. "Isn't it eight?"

Hermione shook her head. "Sorry, it's nearly nine forty-five.

Ron's head jolted up as he heard this announcement, but then he relaxed. "Eh, they'll wait. We're tired and won't be of any use until we wake up. Hermione? Where'd you put that juice stuff?"

"It's by the pumpkin juice and the bisque…Um, Harry? Don't you want to get a bowl out before pouring the cereal?"

Harry looked confused for a moment before Hermione's comment dawned on him, making him feel rather sheepish. "Oh, right, I suppose that would be a good idea…"

"Herm, I still can't find it. But I did find some Chinese from a few weeks ago…" Ron said holding up a container of General Gau's Chicken with one hand and his nose with the other.

"Ugh, throw it in the trash and cast an odor-reducing charm on it. No, Harry, that's chicken broth!" Hermione yelled as Harry started to pour chicken broth on his cereal. He stopped and just looked at it for a moment before commenting, "Merlin, I must be tired."

"Are you sure we have that juice? I still don't see it anywhere," Ron complained.

Rolling her eyes, Hermione finished her bagel and walked into the kitchen. "Honestly, men can be such babies. You juice is right here," she pulled it out and set it down right in front of Ron, "and I suggest you try eating dry cereal until you can wake up enough to tell the difference between chicken broth and milk," she said, looking at Harry. Both men looked at her sheepishly before getting out of the kitchen and sitting down to eat.

* * *

"So _that's_ what you're going to be doing there. May I ask why I wasn't invited? This involves me just as much as it does the two of you," Hermione demanded after hearing the details of the little trip to Australia Harry and Ron were taking.

"Erm, yes, it does, but you don't…have any…specific skills that would be of use to the Ministry at the moment, unlike Harry, who has an expertise in the area we're investigating," Ron fumbled.

"In other words, the Ministry wanted Harry but they didn't want me."

"Well…yeah, that's about the size of it."

"Don't feel bad, Herm," Harry put in as they walked out to the street so he and Ron could Apparate. "At least you won't have to put up with our incompetence for a few days."

Hermione was about to respond, when suddenly her face went stark white. The side of their building had been covered in blood, forming the words:

T H I S k I S k J U S T k T H E k B E G I N N I N G

Still fresh, the crimson words dripped onto the street below, settling in a large puddle around a small, furry creature. Crookshanks. His throat had been slit and his face and body mutilated almost beyond recognition. Only a fraction of his tag remained so that he could be positively identified.

Hermione felt weak in the knees and shakily turned to face her companions.

"I'm going with you."

****

Author's Note: Once again, I'm so sorry this chapter took so long to get out, and I hope I didn't bore you with all the explanations that went on. Trust me, they were necessary. Hopefully things will pick up better in chapter four, I've got some fun stuff planned for that chapter *evil grin*. Anyways, I need to thank my wonderful beta-reader, [George Weasley's Girlfriend][3], for helping me out immensely with this chapter. And, uh, yeah, thanks for reading, hope it's worth a review!

   [1]: http://www.fanfiction.net/index.fic?action=story-read&storyid=153485
   [2]: http://www.fanfiction.net/index.fic?action=story-read&storyid=155908
   [3]: http://www.fanfiction.net/index.fic?action=directory-authorProfile&userid=17608



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